Harry Potter and the Consequences of Choice
by kyc639
Summary: Sequel to Decisions of Fate. Harry deals with his return to Gryffindor, his Slytherin memories intact, and another evil scheme by Voldemort.


**Author's notes**

I own none of the characters or places that appear in my story, and I make no money off of this.  In fact, I'm probably losing money since I'm writing this while at work.

Hello everyone!  Many apologies! I know this was supposed to be out months ago, but writing _Rising Darkness_ bogged me down.  Anyways, here's the sequel to _Decisions of Fate_.  Last we left _DoF_, I had given you two endings.  So, guess which one I'm going to use?  That's right, neither!  So, here's the real ending to _DoF_, just like I planned cough, and then we jump right into the sequel.  Enjoy!

**Prologue: The "Real" Ending**

**Start from the Original (in the Library):**

"Er, yeah," Harry said, feeling foolish at being caught staring.  "Anyways.  Hermione."

"Yes?"

"So…how are you?" he asked, clearly chickening out at the last moment.

Hermione chuckled at Harry's obvious discomfort.  Little did she suspect that the reason was her.  "I'm fine Harry.  Nice catch earlier, by the way."

Catch?  Ah yes, the Quidditch match.  "Thanks.  So, anyways, I was hoping to talk to you…"

Hermione gave him a wry smile.  "Isn't that what we're doing?"

"Well, yeah, but…I mean talk about something important."

"Sure Harry, anything.  What is it?"

"Well…" Harry said, at a loss of where to start.  'Try at the beginning,' suggested Hermione's voice in his head.  Harry grinned.  "Something happened to me-"

"Oh no!  What is it?  Voldemort?"

**Continuing From One of the Alternate Endings:**

Harry raised his hands, trying to calm her down.  "No, nothing like that…nothing bad, at least I don't think so…I'll have to talk with Dumbledore later.  Really, it _was_ all his fault."

"What?  What happened?  What did Dumbledore do?"

Harry looked at her and shook his head.  "Oops, sorry, I'm rambling; it's not important right now.  I promise I'll tell you later," he said quickly, interrupting the protest he knew was at the tip of her tongue.  Oh, that wonderful tongue, those-

"Harry?"

"Sorry.  Anyways, some things have happened that made me realize something.  Something very important."

"What's that?"

Harry hesitated, then reached over and clasped both of Hermione's hands in his own.  "Hermione, you've always been there for me ever since our first year.  We've gone through so many things together, and you never backed away me; you never let me do things on my own no matter how hard I pushed you away.  You've always been by my side, no matter what kind of trouble I've found myself.  I've come to rely on you to center me, to anchor me.  I know now that I've taken some of that for granted, but anymore."  Harry paused a moment, somehow thinking that the last bit sounded familiar.

Hermione took his pause as a chance to speak.  "Harry, you know I'll always be there for you no matter what.  I'll always be your best friend."

"I know that Hermione, but I don't want that."

Hermione looked taken aback.  "You don't…want to be friends?"

Harry shook his head.  "I don't…I want to be more, Hermione.  I want us to be more than just friends.  What I'm trying to say is that…Hermione Granger, I love you."

"Er, I…uh.."

Harry placed a finger over her wonderful lips.  "I know this comes as a bit of a shock.  I'm not asking for a response right now, I don't expect you to return my feelings.  I just want you to consider it.  We've been friends for such a long time that I understand it's hard to think of me of anything other then just a friend.  I just want you to consider the possibility of something more.  And don't worry, no matter what, no matter what you decide, I'll always be your friend."

Harry smiled at her stunned face and then stood.  "I'll see you later at the celebration, okay?"  She nodded dumbly and Harry turned towards the exit.  Although he wasn't realistically expected a declaration of mutual love, it would have been nice, or at least a smile.  Ah well, as it was, things could have gone much worse; at least she hadn't looked horrified at the idea, just shocked.  Harry had just reached the exit when her voice called him back.

"Harry, wait."  Harry turned and was surprised to find Hermione standing only a few meters away…

**Brand New, Real Ending:**

Hermione looked at him.  "We _have_ been friends for a very long time," she said, "and your friendship is one of the most important things in my life." 

"Mine too," Harry said.

"This…this could change everything Harry.  What if it doesn't work out?  What if our friendship is ruined because of this?" she asked, a desperate tone in her voice.

Harry reached down and took her hands, holding them gently.  "I know you're scared Hermione.  I am too.  But I also know how I feel about you; that will never change.  The only question is: how do you feel about me?"

"I…I don't know," Hermione said, looking anguished.  "I need to think about it."

Harry hid his disappointment, his hurt, behind a smile.  "It's okay Hermione.  I wouldn't expect any less of you, though I daresay you won't find the answers in the library this time."

Hermione chuckled softly and then leaned into Harry, wrapping her arms around his waist as if afraid he would disappear.  "You…you don't hate me?" she asked, not looking up.

Harry gently rubbed her back.  "No, I don't hate you.  I could never hate you Hermione."  He felt her loosen her arms, and he let her go.  All of a sudden, the silence that followed felt rather awkward, and Harry quickly made an excuse to leave, reminding Hermione not to stay in the library too long.

**1. Gryffindor Again******

As Harry headed back towards Gryffindor tower, he became acutely aware of a heavy weight on his chest.  Truth be told, he _did_ expect Hermione to fling herself into his arms after his confession of love.  After all, it was only earlier that day that she had given him a good luck kiss before the Quidditch match.  Or, at least, it had been earlier that day in another reality.  Harry shook his violently, trying to shake loose the memories that were held up there.  The haziness that surrounded his mind was incredibly irritating, but Harry was consoled by the fact that he didn't have to face any surprises like waking up in Slytherin again.  Or at least he hoped.

The party was in full swing by the time he returned to the common room.  As soon as he climbed through the portrait hole, his fellow Gryffindors mobbed Harry, all congratulating him for his apparently spectacular catch.  Harry couldn't sense any tension at all in the room, and he decided that figuring out the past could wait until the morning _after_ he had a little fun at the party.  Several handshakes and a few high-fives later, Harry made his way to the table where several bottles of butterbeer were waiting to be drunk.  As Harry selected a bottle for himself, he sensed his redheaded best friend come up to his side.

"So, how'd it go?" Ron asked quietly as he reached for his own bottle.

Harry shrugged.  "Could have been worse, could have been better."

Ron furrowed his eyebrows.  "_That's _not ambiguous or anything.  What did she say?"

"That she'd have to _think _about it," said Harry, with a bitterness that surprised him.

Ron placed a hand on Harry's back consolingly.  "Ah well…I mean, that's our Hermione, right?  Never make a decision without analyzing all the facts first."

Harry chuckled weakly.  "Yeah, that's our Hermione," he agreed ruefully.

"Nice catch Harry!" one of the Creevey brothers said as he passed by.

Harry turned and forced a smile.  "Thanks Colin."

"Yeah Harry, that was a nice catch," Ron said.  Harry turned to compliment Ron's goalkeeping in kind, but paused when he looked at his best friend.  Though Ron's face was smiling, Harry could sense an odd emotion emanating from his body, though very faintly.

"Um, you all right there, Ron?"

Ron tilted his head.  "Yeah, why?"

"I dunno.  You just seem a little…_off_."

"Naw, I'm all right.  Just tired is all.  Oh, I'll be right back; I needed to ask Ginny about something."

Harry nodded his understanding and watched as Ron made his way through the crowds to the other redhead in the room.  Harry found himself feeling slightly disturbed on two accounts.  For one, though Ron seemed fine, Harry couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with him.  For another, Harry was surprised that his skills in legilimency hadn't gone away, and he felt slightly guilty for intruding on Ron's emotions like that, even though it was unintended.  He wondered what other skills he still retained from his time in Slytherin.

For the next hour, Harry kept one eye on the portrait hole for Hermione as he made the rounds in the common room, spending a few minutes with everyone.  As Harry walked away from a group of giggling fourth year girls, he realized that his comfort level in social settings was still high, just as it was in Slytherin-land.  That seemed proof that there was at least _one_ lasting benefit from Dumbledore's spell.  Just before reaching the point where Harry thought he'd have to go to the library himself to get Hermione, the portrait swung open, and the object of his affection finally joined the party.  To his consternation and disappointment, she didn't seem keen on finding him, instead choosing to drop off her bag by the fireplace before joining the other sixth year girls in conversation.  Harry was initially surprised, and slightly offended, that she would seek out Lavender and Pavarti first over himself or Ron, but then he seemed to remember that the girls had grown much closer during the young school year.  Or something like that, it was still a bit fuzzy.  Still, Harry felt slighted that she didn't even seem to look for him in the crowd of Gryffindors.

Harry was by the refreshment table, staring morosely in Hermione's direction when Ron found him.  "You all right, mate?"

Harry shrugged.  "I think she's avoiding me."

Ron frowned and followed Harry's gaze to where Hermione sat.  "Maybe she's just in a really interesting conversation?   You know she's been much better friends with them this year, after all."

Harry shook his head.  "No, she's definitely avoiding me, I can tell.  I think I made a mistake by telling her."

"No, no, it wasn't a mistake," Ron said, but sounding slightly unconvinced himself.  "Just give her some time; she'll come around."

Harry sighed.  "Maybe.  Anyways, it's late, and this has been one of the longest days of my life."

"Really?"

Harry looked at Ron and gave him a wry smile.  "You have _no _idea.  I'll tell you about it later.  For now, I'm off for bed."

"All right mate.  I'll see you in the morning."

Harry put down his butterbeer bottle and walked towards the staircase.  His movement must have finally penetrated Hermione's firm resolve to not look at him, for on the way, she looked up.  They locked eyes for a brief second before she turned away quickly, but that brief second was all he needed to sense the discomfort she was feeling.  Harry shook his head sadly, regretting that he ever opened his big mouth.

*********************************

The next day was a Sunday, perfect for sleeping in.  Though Harry usually couldn't sleep past 9 am (after years of conditioning by the Dursleys), he was so exhausted, mentally and physically, from playing Quidditch, fighting Voldemort, and bearing his soul to Hermione.  It was then, with a little bit of shock, that Harry opened his eyes and saw that it was well past 11 am, and that he better get up if he wanted to eat lunch.  Throwing off his covers, Harry found that he had the dormitory to himself.   He got out of bed and walked over to the bathrooms (after first double-checking that he was still in the Gryffindor dormitory) where he took a quick shower, and then returned to his room and got dressed.  Noticing offhandedly how shabby his robes were compared to the Slytherin variety, he quickly checked the mirror (making sure that there was a Gryffindor crest on his robe) and walked downstairs to the common room.  A few of the younger years were scattered throughout the common room, and Harry smiled in polite greeting to them as he walked through the room and towards the portrait hole.  From there it was a quick walk to the Great Hall for lunch.

Harry walked into the Great Hall and turned left without thinking.  He was halfway to the Slytherin table before he realized what he was doing, and he halted suddenly, feeling very self-conscious.  Fortunately, he spotted Susan Bones sitting alone at the Hufflepuff table, and he swerved slightly towards her, trying to appear as if he wanted to talk to her all along.  Susan looked up from her Charms textbook when she noticed him approaching.

"Hi Harry."

"Hi Susan," Harry replied, painfully aware of the fact that he had absolutely nothing to talk about with the Hufflepuff.  "Um, er…so, how's, uh…"

"Oh, it's going pretty well, in fact," Susan answered, giving Harry a sly wink.  "I'll be able to show everyone at the next DA meeting."

Harry stood quietly for a minute, completely taken by surprise.  "Er, right, okay then.  I'm looking forward to it," he finally managed, and then walked over to the Gryffindor table.  Harry was utterly confused by the exchange, even if Susan seemed to know what they were talking about.  Perhaps Ron or Hermione could shed some light on the matter.   As Harry passed the Ravenclaw table, he paused for a second as something else that Susan had said finally registered: apparently there was a DA club this year.  He would definitely have to talk to Ron and Hermione about that.

Harry couldn't find either Ron or Hermione at the Gryffindor table, but Ginny was there.  Harry made his way over and sat next to her.  "Morning Ginny," he said as he helped himself to a nearby plate.

"Harry!" Ginny said in surprise.

Harry looked at her.  "What?"

"Er, nothing.  How are you?" she asked.

"Good, just tired.  How about-"

"Morning everyone!  How's-" Harry looked up to see Colin Creevey standing as still as statue, staring at Harry in shock.  Harry glanced quickly at Ginny, who suppressed a giggle.

"Er, morning Colin," Harry said, hoping to break Colin out of his trance.

"G-good morning Harry," Colin said, and then sat down with an eagerness not normal for lunch.  He then proceeded to talk almost non-stop about random events, but for some reason, Harry didn't seem to mind as much as he usually did.  What did bother him, though, was how the other fifth years seemed to be very nervous in his presence.  

Ginny must've noticed, for she leaned over to Harry.  "Don't worry about them," she whispered.  "It's not that they don't like you.  They're just not used to being so near to you.  I was a little surprised myself when you came and sat next to us."

Harry nodded and spent the next ten minutes trying to engage them in conversation.  He was only marginally successful though, and so he was very happy to see Ron and Seamus walked into the Great Hall and join them, fresh from a pick-up game of Quidditch.  Five minutes after that, Hermione walked in, but she chose to sit next to two of the seventh year girls.  Ron noticed Harry's frown.

"Er, that doesn't mean anything," he said quietly, so that the others couldn't hear him.  "She almost always sits with other girls whenever she sees we're with other guys, talking about Quidditch."  Harry nodded, wishing he could remember that.  In his memories, Hermione _always_ sat with them at mealtimes unless she was really upset with one of them.  Harry ate the rest of his meal quietly, stealing occasional glances at Hermione, who never seemed to glance his way.  Harry was about to reach for the pitcher of pumpkin juice when he spotted Dumbledore walking towards the staff table.

"I'll be right back," Harry said, excusing himself from the table and walking to intercept Dumbledore.  "Professor Dumbledore!" Harry called.

"Mr. Potter, what can I do for you?" Dumbledore asked benignly as he settled himself in his chair.

"Can we talk after lunch?  It's important."

Dumbledore smiled faltered slightly.  "Is everything okay, Mr. Potter?"

Harry shook his head.  "Everything's fine.  I wanted to talk about…about a certain _spell_ that affects _choices_," Harry said, hoping that the Headmaster would understand.

His faith in Dumbledore was not misplaced.  Only a widening of his eyes revealed his surprise.  "Of course," Dumbledore said after the briefest of pauses.  "Please come by my office after lunch."

Harry nodded and then made his way back to the Gryffindor table.  Ron looked at him curiously.  "Can you come with me to talk to Dumbledore after lunch?" Harry asked quietly.

Ron nodded.  "What's up?"

"I'd prefer to tell the story only once.  Would you…would you mind asking Hermione too?"

"Uh, sure.  Why can't you?"

Harry fidgeted slightly.  "It's still too…uncomfortable."

Ron gave him a pitying look and then nodded.  He stood and Harry watched as he walked down the length of the Gryffindor table to where Hermione sat.  Ron whispered in Hermione's ear, and she finally looked in his direction before she nodded and said something back.

"She said she'll come," Ron said when he regained his seat.  Harry nodded and returned to his meal.

*********************************

"I still don't understand what this is all about," Hermione complained as the three walked towards the stone gargoyle that protected Dumbledore's office.

"You'll see.  It's a really, _really_ long story." said Harry.  "Don't worry," he said in response to their slightly alarmed looks, "it's not a bad story, just a long one."

When they arrived at the statue, it began to rise as if expecting them.  Harry climbed the stone steps, followed by Ron and then Hermione.  The door to Dumbledore's office was open, and Harry knocked on the doorjamb.

"Come in, come in," Dumbledore said with his customary cheer.  "Ah, I see you brought Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger.  Yes, that will probably save time, I imagine."  Dumbledore swished his wand through the air, and three comfy-looking armchairs were conjured.  The three Gryffindors found seats, and all eyes turned to Harry expectantly.

"Yes, well," Harry began nervously.  "I'm not sure where to begin…"

"I think that maybe I can," Dumbledore said.  "On the first day of term, I cast a very special spell meant to for Harry.  Now, as nothing seemed to have changed from my recollection of recent events, I had assumed that the spell failed.  As you are now in my office, wishing to discuss said spell, it appears that I was previously mistaken, and that indeed the spell was successful."  Harry nodded, surprised to find that he was relieved that Dumbledore admitted to casting the spell.  If he hadn't, his entire experience would seem unbelievable.

"What was the spell, Professor?" Hermione asked curiously.

Dumbledore took a deep breath before explaining the purpose of his spell.  To Hermione and Ron's gasps, he told them how he developed the spell over the summer, and then cast it after Harry had left his office the first night back.  Ron looked impressed with Dumbledore's power, but Harry could also sense a twinge of jealousy when Ron looked at him, jealousy that Dumbledore would go to so much trouble for Harry.  Hermione, on the other hand, looked slightly scandalized that Dumbledore would interfere with time like that, presumably due to the constant warnings she was subjected to while using the Time-Turner.

"Now," Dumbledore said, after he finished describing the spell, "as I was saying, because I did not notice anything different after I cast the spell, I had believed that I had failed in developing the spell."

Harry nodded his head.  "Your spell was successful, Professor."  Ron and Hermione gave him surprised looks.  Harry took a deep breath before he recounted the prior three months as he remembered it.  He told them everything, though leaving out his more-than-friendly relationship with Hermione and his preference for Slytherin; he didn't think they would be able to handle those facts very well at all.  Dumbledore listened intently, periodically asking questions, while Ron and Hermione were speechless throughout.  By the time Harry recounted the kidnapping of Hermione and her subsequent death, Dumbledore was looking at his desk wearily and Hermione had tears in her eyes.

"So," she said softly, "you broke the crystal because of me?"

Harry nodded, not looking at her.

"I can't believe we were actually working with the Slytherins," Ron said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.  "And now, given what had happened the first time around, would I be correct in saying that the past three months in _this_ reality are somewhat hazy?"

Harry nodded.  "I remember bits and pieces, but that's it.  For example," he said, turning to Hermione with a grin, "I don't remember how you got to become such good friends with Lavender and Pavarti."

"Oh, well, you see-" Hermione began.

"Perhaps," Dumbledore interrupted, "you can fill in Mr. Potter later.  For now, I would like to talk to Harry alone, for just a moment."

"Of course Professor," Hermione and Ron said together, and they left the office.  Dumbledore waited until they had closed the door, before turning his attention back to Harry.

"I am sorry, Harry, for putting you through all of that.  Please believe me when I say I would never have cast the spell if I knew that it would force you into a confrontation with Lord Voldemort."

Harry nodded briefly as he examined the old man.   He found that his feelings of animosity towards Dumbledore have diminished considerably over the past three months, most likely due to the fact that while a Slytherin, he had no contact with him since Dumbledore was dead in the other reality.  Still, some bitterness remained.  "I believe you, Professor," Harry said finally.  "Above all else, I know that you want me to stay alive."

For the briefest of moments, Dumbledore's eyes revealed hurt.  "Harry, I care for you far beyond simply keeping you alive.  I-"

But Harry stood suddenly.  "Thank you Professor.  If there's nothing else?"

Dumbledore sighed heavily.  "No, you may go Mr. Potter."

Without another word, Harry left Dumbledore's office and made his way down the spiral staircase.  Ron and Hermione were waiting for him at the bottom, near the statue.  Harry stepped off and looked at his two friends.

"Wow," was all Ron could say.  

Harry chuckled and nodded in agreement.  "Wow."

"I can't believe you were in Slytherin."

Harry shrugged.  "It wasn't all that bad.  In fact, it was kinda nice at times."

"What?" Ron cried, shocked.  "I can't believe you liked being a Slytherin!" Ron said, looking highly affronted.

"It wasn't that bad, Ron.  I mean, they're not so bad once you get to know them.  It's really Malfoy's fault that they're all so horrid."

"Still…they're Slytherins!"

"Well, I think Harry's right," Hermione said.  "Not all Slytherins are destined to become dark wizards, Ron."

"Well, most are," Ron grumbled under his breath.

Harry laughed and they starting walking back towards Gryffindor tower.  Hermione looked pensive.  "Harry…"

"Hm?"

"I…I suppose we should fill you in on the past three month."

Harry nodded.  "Yeah, and you can start with a strange conversation I had with Susan earlier..."

*********************************

For the rest of the night, Ron and Hermione gave Harry a detailed description of the prior three months.  Just as Ron has said earlier, when Harry first re-awakened as a Gryffindor, nothing much of anything had occurred during the past three months.  Harry's primary concern was laid to rest, as both Ron and Hermione reported that Voldemort had been quiet lately.   

"Oy, and Hermione's a regular 'Miss Popular' now," Ron was saying later on, when Harry expressed his surprise at seeing Hermione spending time with her roommates.

Hermione blushed slightly and slapped Ron on the arm, who cried out in mock pain.  "Oh, stop it."

Harry chuckled.  "I just never thought I'd see the day when you'd be spending so much time with the gossip twins."

"They're not that bad-" Hermione began.

"No, they're definitely not," Ron agreed in a very lecherous undertone, waggling his eyebrows.

Harry chuckled again while Hermione looked offended.  She gave Ron a withering look before turning back to Harry.  "I got to really get to know them while helping them study for History of Magic."  Harry remembered that he had failed the History of Magic OWL (not completely his fault though), and Ron elected not to continue in the class, so Hermione was left with the other girls taking the class together.

"Still…they weren't very nice to you before," Harry said.

"No, they weren't," she agreed darkly.  "And true, they still talk about hair and boys and things," Hermione said a bit sniffily, "but they're more mature now."

"You mean," Ron added, "that you were first year going on sixth year, and the rest of the girls finally caught up."

"I'll have you know that they said they have always respected and admired me," Hermione said, her chin raised.

"Was that before or after you agreed to help them study?" Harry asked.

Hermione just stuck her tongue out at him.

As for the DA, Harry found that it was through the insistence of Dumbledore and the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, a Bulgarian named Yordan Atanasoff that Harry reformed the DA club, though Harry insisted on renaming it the Defense Association.  Harry and Professor Atanasoff carefully planned the DA meetings to ensure that they complimented the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.  The mystery of Susan Bones was easily explained: apparently her aunt, Madam Bones, was to show her an experimental spell being developed for Aurors.  It seemed, based on his brief conversation with her earlier, that the spell was ready for showing to the DA.

They also told Harry that he was taking various 'private lessons' with different Professors, and it was with great reluctance that they told him that the lessons included Occlumency with Snape.  Harry surprised them with a smile at hearing that news, though he said nothing.  Harry's skill in Occlumency and Legilimency were exponentially improved, and Harry would take great delight in demonstrating his newfound expertise to the Potions Master.

Though Harry was pleased to find that nothing major had occurred, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease during their talk.  Outwardly, nothing seemed to have changed among the three; even Hermione seemed back to normal with a subject to tackle.  But Harry could sense the underlying emotions from his two best friends.  It wasn't on purpose – Harry wasn't using consciously using his legilimency to probe their emotions.  Rather, it was just something that he couldn't turn off.  Harry found he was extremely distressed by the situation – not only did it felt like he was invading their privacy, but he didn't like what he was sensing from his two best friends.  With those worries floating about in his head, Harry finally went to bed and fell into a restless sleep.


End file.
